The Beginning
by Amane Usui
Summary: Whenever she was around him, she knew she was safe. He hadn't seen it in the beginning, but now he was grateful.


**So I decided to give it a go and try to write a one-shot. I was having a bit of a writer's block on my other story and this just came to me at 3am lol. I hope it's ok, I love a sweet Ichigo and a cute Orihime, but when isn't she cute? This here is just the beginning of the day for these to on their way to some fun. Anyway here you are...**

**Disclaimer: These fantastic characters belong to the awesome Tite Kubo**

The morning wind blew fiercely through the deserted park, causing the autumn leaves to lift and dance in circles. The sun was hidden behind clouds and the air grew colder. Pulling her coat closer to her body, the young woman picked up her pace so she wouldn't be late. She smiled to herself as she watched the beautiful colors of the leaves fall from the trees and drift slowly to the ground. Looking ahead of her she saw her destination not too far away and lightly jogged the rest of the way in her excitement. Arriving at her destination she spotted her reason for joy in front of her and smiled brightly as he turned to face her with a small smile of his own.

"Ohayo Kurosaki-kun" She could see her breath before her due to the cold, but chose to ignore it as he walked towards her.

"Orihime, haven't I told you to call me Ichigo now? You forget so easily." He place a hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair slightly as she looked up at him.

"Gomen Kuro- I mean Ichigo-kun, I'm still getting used to it."

"That's alright"

He then removed his hand from her head and took notice of her reddened face. She must have run out of the house in a hurry when he had called and didn't dress warmly enough for this type of weather. Shaking his head Ichigo reached for the scarf around her neck and fixed it so it would be tied more securely and keep her from catching a cold.

The wind picked up and blew strongly against the two, making Orihime shiver visibly. Ichigo took this opportunity to pull her closer to his body to hopefully help keep her warm. A blush spread across her face at the closeness of the man she held strong feelings for moved to put his arms around her.

"You'll catch a cold if you're not careful Orihime" Her blush deepened at the way he said her name with affection. Her infectious smile spread once again across her face and he returned it with one of his rare genuine smiles. The corners of his mouth turned up and his eyes closed as he chuckled lowly only for the two of them to hear.

"Well we running a bit late, are you ready?" He checked his watch and looked down into her eyes, her body still close to his.

"Y-yes I'm ready to go. I'm very happy that I get to see Ichigo-kun this morning."

"Same here. I'm glad you could make it on such short notice. I hope I didn't take you away from anything"

"Oh of course not. I don't mind really."

The pulled apart but not before Ichigo went to grab the young healers small hand and hold it tightly in his own larger one. They began to walk at regular pace and Orihime fell into step with him. There was a comfortably silence between the two as they continued on with Ichigo leading the way. She stole a glance of him during their walk and took notice of his strong jaw line, sharp nose and chocolate eyes that stared at the path a head of them. Her eyes drifted down to his lips and she begun to wonder, '_what would it feel like to touch them? Were they soft or_-' Orihime caught herself and looked away quickly, embarrassed by her own thoughts.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw Orihime look away from him quickly. "Is there something wrong?" Frowning slightly when the girl beside him didn't answer, he stopped walking, which caused her to stumble over her own feet and lose her balance. He reached out his strong hands to steady her and he placed a hand under her chin causing her to look him in the eye and asked "What's the matter Orihime?"

Feeling flustered and embarrassed she sighed deeply as she looked into his eyes. "I didn't mean to worry you, I-"

"Your nervous aren't you? There's nothing to be worried about, you'll like my surprise, I promise." The frown leaving his face as he spoke to her in reassurance.

"No, no I'm not nervous! Just very happy, I guess in my excitement I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She giggled at her silly behavior. It ended when she felt Ichigo pull at her hair, returning her gaze back to his. "Well I'm glad that your happy, and I'll make sure nothing will happen to you. I'll always protect you." He placed the hair behind her ear and another blush graced her cheeks when his hand grazed the side of her face.

She would never tire of hearing those words said or coming from him. She knew not to be afraid or frightened of what lay ahead of them because he would always be there, by her side to protect her from any and everything. She gave his hand a light squeeze "I know Ichigo-kun." and the two began to walk once again.

As they neared their destination, Orihime could feel happiness filling her and Ichigo looked back at her and she saw the happiness in his eyes as well. Rounding the next corner the two stopped and looked at the area that liad ahead.

Screams and laughter could be heard, children playing and running around could be seen in the large amusement park despite the drop in temperature. Ichigo let another small smile grace his lips as he looked down at the girl beside him with affection. She had her lips parted slightly in awe and her eyes grew wide as she took in the sight.

"Since we had no school today I thought I would bring you here before it started to snow. I know you like this kind of stuff and I thought it would be good for a first date."

He scratched the back of his head with his free hand and felt a little nervous when she said nothing. Sneaking a glance at her, he saw the smile slowly form on her face. He thought her face would crack if it got any bigger.

Orihime turned to face him and grabbed his other hand. With both of them in her grasp she squeezed them tightly and replied to him. "This is wonderful! How nice and thoughtful of you to bring me here! Thank you."

A light blush dusted across the orange haired boys face as he looked down at his feet, he wasn't supposed to blush!

"It was nothing, I just wanted you to enjoy yourself."

The smile she gave him made his heart stop, why hadn't he realized her beauty years ago? This stunning creature had cared for him, healed him and had protected him like no one else and it had taken him until now to see that he felt the same way.

"How could I not Ichigo-kun? I have you with me."

He couldn't help himself as he pulled her close to him and grabbed her cheek with his hand. Staring into her eyes he saw the confusion as he leaned in and touched her lips with his in a soft kiss. He pulled away and saw the deep blush that adorned her lovely face and he laughed at her expression as she bit her lip in thought.

"I've wanted to do that for a while."

He wondered if she had spaced out for a moment when she didn't respond, but she looked into his eyes and smiled at him like she always had. Tugging at his hand to start walking towards the entrance.

"Let's go! I'm ready to have fun with Ichigo-kun!"He felt the warmth from her as she spoke.

He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before, but now he knew he would never be blind to her again.

* * *

**Alright there it is my first one-shot. Please let me know what you think by clicking the review button :) Thanks**


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